Xhenry a aeden



nenni Annex, or encontra, New roi-zicasstcnon To .ions o. SMITH, or

sans LIL-iron.

ihflPRQVE-MENT ihl APPARATUS `igt??? ESHARGEG @Fi Specification formingpart of Letters Patent No. 120,179, dated October 24, 187i antetleted`October i1, 18.71.

Zo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY ARDEN, of Brooklyn, in the county ci' Kingsand State ot'- New' York, have invented a new and-Imprmed Mode ol'vFiring Guns on Board Vessels of War; and l do hereby declare `that 'thefollowing is a iull and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference markedthereon, making a part ofthis specilication.

it is well known that the pitching or rollingot a ship at seacontinually changes the angle of' eievation ot' the guns, and it is verydificuit under auch circumstances to tire them at the proper moment. Theobject of my invention is to furnish a mechanical device by which thecharge in the gun isiired whenever, vby the rollling or other motion ot'the ship, the gun attains the proper angle ot' elevation, and I employthe unerring agency of' a simple mechanism to perform what heretoforehas depended solely upon the capri ciousiatlgment ofthe gunner.

l will proceed to describe tht-construction ol' my machine foraccomplishing this objcct,`ret` ercnce being had to the accompanyingdrawing forming part ot' this specification. g

Aris the base of my machine. 'l li are. two upright standards, to whichare pivoted, at points m m', the ring of metal (l. 0n the innerperiphery ot' this ring, at points n n', is pivotcd the bar ot' metall), the points n' nbeingeaeh cquidistant from the points m m. 'lo thisbar l) is fastened a metallic are, 1, ot' a circle, which rlrcle has thecenter o, ot' thc bar l) t'or its cen ter. 'lho plane ot` this arc is atright angles to the bar l), and lpasses through the points m m. iponthis arc 1') are marked the degrees, minutes, and seconds of the anglesot' elevation, the zero line being that line which strikes the arcai'ter passing through the center ot' and at right angles tothe base A.An arm or pointer, I", is pivotcd atornear the point O in the bar l),and passes over the arc E, and can be adjusted to and fastened at anyrequired degree, minute, or second of elevation upon said arc that maybe desired. Attached to the end or other suitable part ot' this arm l'`is a metallic point, p, either pivoted or otherwise. Through the centerof the base A is aiiixed another metallic arc ot' a circle, G,whichcirclc has also the point o t'orits center, and this arc G is onthc same-plano as'the lthereby tiring the gun.

it, and by so touching it closes the circuit of the electric current.AIn the circuit formed by these wires H H is an electric fuse, used forfiring the gun, or an electro-magnet is arranged to pull the trigger andrelease a hammer to expiotle the cap.

` (Jonnectetl also with these wires and in this Acir-Y cuit isV anordinary tclegraph-hey,L K for opening and closing the circuit,preferably-arranged so that the circuit is closed when. the key ispressed down. .y

The method of operating my machine is as follows: The distance of theobject to be tired at being determined, and consequently the requiredangle ofelc ration of the gun beingknown, the arm or pointer F isadjusted to and fastened at this-an gieas marked upon the arc the gun isthen pointedat the object, its barrel being parallel withtiie deck, andno attention is paid to its eleyation-or detieetion (with reference tothe horizon) 4by the rolling of the ship. "Vhen everything isrea'dy fortiring the otlicer in charge presses downthe key K, and sosoontbercafter as the gun attains the proper angle of elevation ordetiection, by the rolling or other motion ofthe vessel, the pointppasses over the arc G, and touches it, andthereby closes the circuitofthe electricity, which passes' to the fuse and ignites it, or to thee1ectro-magnet and vitalizes it, as the case may he, It will 'beevident` that my machine need not he placed by the side. of the gan, butmay be aixed in any convenient position, the key only being requirednearlthe gun; also that one machine can be used, if dcsircd, t'or anynumber of guns upon the same ship, req airing the same angle ofelevation or deflection, and tiring at the same object.. Another methodot' operating my machine is to fasten the arm F to the arc' E, so thatthe point p touches the arc G, and thereby closes the'electrc circuitwhen the water-line ci' the ship is parallel with the plane ofthe water;the gun is thcne-lcrated in the ordinary manner tothe angletevvwithtlic' plane'of the Water,

quired to eend the projectile to the object tired at. When ell is readyfor tiring, the otiicer in .charge presses down the key K, and so soonthe arm F upon the are E at the required angle of elevation ordeflection, as marked upon said Aere; the gun is then elevated ordeflected grad-A uallyhand so soon as it attains the proper an gie (thekey K being pressed down by the officer in charge,) the electric circuitis completed by the point p coming in contact with the arc G, and theelectricity passes to the fuse and ignites it, or to the elec tro-magnetand vitalizes it, as the case may be,

thereby firing' thegun. y

I do not confine myself to the particular form .of mechanismv I havedescribed, as it -is obvions that it can be modified and differentlyconstructed without departing from the Spirit of my invention; forinstance, I can dispensewitb the ring C, pivotod tothe standar-dadi B',in which case the arc ot' metal G can be replaced by a point of metalwithwhich the point p will form contact when thcrolling, pitching orother motion ofthe vessel or gun brings the barrel ot' the gun to theproper angle of elevation or dcllection. I can also employ othermcanathan the contact of the point p with the metallic are G, for the'purpose of completing the electric circuit when the gun attains therequired angle forinstance, I can in salate points of meta-l in the barl), or any part thereotbonin a metallic disk or its equivalent attached-thereto in such manner that these insulated points come in Contact witha metallic conductor ci' electricity, when by the rollinfg` of the shipor otherwise the gun attains thc proper angle of elevation or deflectionwith the plane of the water; 0r l can use a cup of mercury, into whichametallic arm dips when the gunattains the proper angle, as aforesaid. Ican also usc the armature of the electro-magnet to tirev the cap,instead of employing it to release thc hammer. t p A l disclaim thewell-known electric fuse and all of .elevation or deflection otherfamiliar means for tiring guns, torpedoes,

mines, `85e., by an electric current passing d'iv rectly to the firingdevice; but I combine with such device, and in the same circuit, amechanism whereby thc fragments ot an electric con doctor arc, bythegravity of a body free to move, h

brought together or separated, to close oropen the circuit, and therebylire the gun at the dcsired angle oi' elevation.

4What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is,- l. An electric circuit-breaking and closingap paratus, operated' bygravity, combined with means for tiring' ay gun, substantiallyin themanner and for the purposce specified.

2. The combination of. the suspended weight or-arc. E andan adjustableelectric conductor, F,

with a stationary elect-re conductor, Gr, all ar- Y ranged andoperati-ng substantially1 as described.

HENRY ARDEN.-

Witnesses:

CEAS. E. EMERY,

W. 11. WEIGHTMAN. A (105)

